On the 24th November, Dr Ruth Valerio delivered the 2021 Denis Duncan Lecture. You can watch this lecture here – it is freely available until the end of the year.
The Denis Duncan Lecture is an annual event which focuses on the links between health and faith. It is run in partnership with the Church of Scotland and seeks to explore the healing ministry, communication and a whole person approach to wellbeing. This year we are delighted to welcome Dr. Ruth Valerio as the speaker.
Losing connection: does the natural world matter for the future health of humanity?
Our earth is in crisis, but what does it matter to humanity? In this age of human power and domination, do we need do we need the natural world anymore? How does the covid-19 pandemic speak to these issues, and what is the role of the church in healing and rebuilding the world in its wake? Join us as we explore connection to the natural world, issues of global justice and shaping the future health of humanity and the planet we inhabit.
Dr Ruth Valerio is Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund. An environmentalist, theologian and social activist. Ruth holds a doctorate from King’s College London, and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Winchester and Chichester. She is Canon Theologian at Rochester Cathedral and her home church is part of the 24/7 Prayer Network. She enjoys living sustainably – practising what she preaches and inspiring others as she does so – in the South of England with her family. She is the author of L is for Lifestyle:Christian Living that doesn’t cost the earth and Just Living:Faith and Community in an age of Consumerism, and has written the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2020 Lent book, entitled Saying Yes to Life. Ruth is a regular contributor on Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.
One of the aims of the lecture event is to encourage churches to be hubs for healing for the whole community. At this time, with rising levels of trauma and grief following in the wake of the pandemic, churches have a unique opportunity to enlarge their mission and to reach out to those in need. The Healthy Healing Hub project seeks to train, badge and network churches in this work – why not gather a group from your church and watch the lecture together as you explore how your church can be a beacon of hope in these dark days.